N.C. Inmate Says He Tried Keys as Jailer Slept

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By Durham Herald-Sun

Published: 07/14/2003

The Durham County Sheriff's Office is investigating an inmate's claim that he left his cell and took keys from a sleeping officer in a failed effort to escape the Durham County Jail on June 20.
In a letter sent to The Herald-Sun, Michael Satterfield, who is also known as Michael Gillespie, contends the dozing officer failed to detect him and another inmate wandering around the cell block for about 30 minutes trying to escape.
Chief Deputy Wes Crabtree contends the inmates were out of their cells for about 20 minutes. But when asked if the officer was sleeping, Crabtree would not confirm or deny the claim.
The sheriff's office placed one officer on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation and a second continues working his regular shift, Crabtree said.
Satterfield claims he managed to leave his cell and the pod, an area of 48 cells where inmates are housed, 'and sneak into the control booth where the on-duty officer was sleeping' at around 3 a.m., according to his letter. 'I took all the keys and went to let out another inmate.'
Satterfield said he and Anthony Patterson Jr., 19, who is being held on murder charges, spent the next 30 minutes trying to open doors to exit stairwells to leave the jail. However, the keys they had did not work, the letter states.
In the letter, Satterfield granted an interview with The Herald-Sun, but he was transferred the next day to Central Prison in Raleigh for 'safekeeping,' Sheriff's Lt. Col. George Naylor said.
After the escape, Naylor said, jail officials shackled and handcuffed Satterfield and Patterson, but Satterfield managed to slip free from the restraints several times.
From Raleigh, Satterfield was sent to Craven Correctional Institution near Elizabeth City, where he was being held Tuesday, officials said.
Patterson and Satterfield, who was being held on robbery with a dangerous weapon and other charges, each were charged with attempted escape in connection with the incident.
Because the jail has been experiencing electrical problems involving its custom security gear, the sheriff's probe is looking into the mix of human and mechanical errors, Crabtree said.
Of 60 cameras in the five-story building, about a dozen are malfunctioning, and the electrical locks on many cell doors fail to catch, requiring officers to manually lock them with keys, Crabtree said.
Although Durham County Commissioners approved a $1.2 million contract to repair the faulty system in May, the work isn't scheduled to begin until August.
The investigation also will focus on whether Satterfield used a substance, such as toilet paper, to jam his lock so it didn't catch when an officer closed his door earlier that night, Crabtree said.

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